Fun With Time Anomalies
by The Karnstein
Summary: The League of Shadows discover a means to time travel and Catwoman uses it to her full advantage. What was originally a means of stealing priceless treasures turns into something more fun when she stumbles across a certain assassin during the Italian Renaissance.
1. Prologue

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Prologue

Selina made a conscious effort not to give Talia al Ghul and her little cult too much credit. But this time she could have kissed her.

She stumbled across the League of Shadows completely by accident. Apparently Talia's little goons made the mistake of not concealing the brilliant light of their stolen invention and curiosity got the better of the Catwoman. Selina had been lurking around a few abandoned parts of the subway system in Gotham City when a bright flash had nearly blinded her. When she investigated further, she discovered the three League of Shadows tampering with a strange machine with a bright ball of energy at it's core. It radiated no heat but the brightness was enough to sting her eyes. She did her best to remain hidden in the only shadowy parts of the tunnel and turned off the nightvision on her goggles to protect her sight.

It was difficult to understand what they were saying. Their accents were a little too heavy for her to make out much of anything, but the word "time" had come up quite a bit. Selina was just about to dismiss it as another one of their rituals to bring back Talia's father when suddenly the core expanded, filling the archway of the machine and firing a man out from the light. He crashed into the wet cement and his colleagues rush to gather him to his feet. They shouted amongst each other in their excitement and the English language completely disappeared from their vocabulary. Selina rose her eyebrows, because while the other men were speaking in the Arabic language, the man who came from the light was speaking fluent Italian. And then suddenly his voice transitioned and shifted into Arabic, surprising even his own friends.

"Has our mistress been informed of this?" one of the men asked very slowly in English.

"Not yet. I will go to her." was the response from one of the other men.

"Go quickly. We will be rewarded for our discovery. Time travel has been tested and proven to be true."

_Oh, that won't do at all._

If Talia knew nothing about this place, this meant all Selina needed to do was hit these little boys hard enough to do some temporary brain damage and this toy was hers for the taking. Reaching to her side, she slipped out one of her bolas and after giving it a few good twirls, sent it flying right into the face of the would-be messanger to Talia al Ghul. It struck him right between the eyes, broke the bridge of his nose and knocked him right off of his feet. Before his colleagues could process what had happened, the Catwoman kicked off of the wall of the shadows and divebombed the next man, making sure his head hit the ground hard before she sprung off of him, flipped forward and rushed at the next warrior. This one had managed to get his dagger in his hand once the thief had rushed him, but Selina was much faster than he had anticipated. A strong kick from her heeled boot took out his knee and he could barely get a scream or a stab in before she drove her own knee into the side of his head. She heard footsteps rushing up from behind her and saw that the man who emerged from the portal was charging right at her.

"Oh, you." Selina purred, and much to her enemy's misfortune, her whip was already in her hand.

The whip cracked against the side of his neck, coiled around him and she tugged hard. He flew at her and with a twist of her body she body slammed him facedown on the ground. She pushed her foot down on his back and tightened her grip on the whip, just enough to lift his head a few centimeters off the ground. He was still awake. Good news for her.

"Now I'm going to give you a few minutes to breathe, and then you can tell Miss Kitty all about what's in that big pretty lightbulb over there." she whispered, then pushed the button on her whip. It loosened around his neck and uncoiled, returning to it's rightful place at her hip. "Start talking, or I'll slice you."

Whatever the man had been doing before he emerged from the portal had left him fatigue, and turning into Selina's personal cat toy had taken quite a lot out of him. But thankfully he put up very little struggle against her.

"...It is a time anomaly…" he gasped as Selina applied pressure to his back. "It took me to Italy…. the Italian Renaissance… I could communicate with the people there, I could actually speak Italian… it was remarkable."

Selina rose her eyebrow. He could've been lying, but she saw the proof for herself. He was speaking Italian and seemed pretty shocked that it wore off so quickly when he came back. If the League of Shadows was convinced that this time traveling was real, maybe it was. Only one way to find out.

"Thank you, handsome." and with that she kicked him in the back of his head, just hard enough to put his lights out but not kill him.

After taking the time to remove the unconscious and most likely comatose League of Shadows from the premises, Selina returned to the strange machine to observe it closer. It looked like an archway or some kind of gateway that housed this strange light. It was metal, very clearly looked like a man-made machine rather than an ancient ruin, but she saw no buttons and no indication that it was designed and built by a company. Surely Wayne Enterprises would've went public with a time machine, especially if it meant the possibility of bringing back the two murdered founders of the company. The ball of energy was very responsive to her as she approached but she felt no pull or force moving her towards it. It was as if it was welcoming her into the light.

"So, I've watched enough movies to know it's a bad idea to go back and change history…" Selina muttered to herself as she circled the machine. "Can't go disappearing like Marty McFly. Imagine how boring Gotham would be without little ol' me in it…"

She reached her hand towards the light and again was surprised to feel no heat and no force, although she noticed it started to expand in her direction. Feeling a little bolder, she outstretched her fingers and touched it, watching her fingers disappear into the light but feeling no pain. When she withdrew her hand and found it to be still intact and unharmed, she couldn't help but smile.

"Well, if the League of Shadows can slip in and out of the Renaissance and not destroy the human history in the process, surely this little kitten can have her fun too…"

She did a quick look all around her. If there were other members of the League of Shadows present, she didn't see any of them. Certainly they would have tried something by now to stop her from stepping into the light. Perhaps it would have been wiser to think things through and consider all the possible alternatives, but where was the fun in that? Without further hesitation, Selina stepped into the light and watched as it expanded around her and opened up like the gates of Heaven. The brightness proved too much for even her goggles to handle and so she closed her eyes, still feeling the intensity through her eyelids and only reopening them when everything had darkened.

When she opened her eyes, her jaw dropped at the sight before her.

She was outside and under the stars ontop of the roof of a very old church. And she was staring out at the skyline of a small town in what was very obviously Italy.

_Renaissance-era Italy._


	2. Chapter 1

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Chapter One

The first few days was dedicated entirely to experimenting. When she was absolutely convinced that this was no hallucination, she then had to ask the most basic question: where exactly was she? There was no sign of the Vatican or the Colleseum, so she ruled out Rome as being a possibility. After a few moments of scaling through the Tuscany villages and noticing the enormous dome of a cathedral in the distance, she discovered she was in Florence.

_Good to know. Now, let's have some fun…_

It was an ideal time to test her boundaries within this strange, ancient world. She broke into a sprint across the rooftops of the village and scaled across the walls and gates as fast as she could, running and leaping and flying for miles and miles. Her whip launched her over the tall, ancient buildings and propelled her through the air after diving down into the alleys, swinging her through the narrows streets and pathways. There was no limitation to where she could travel, nothing that kept her trapped or contained, nothing that was off limits to her exploring.

For her own purposes, she remained in the shadows and out of sight from the Italian people. From the look of their clothes and her prior knowledge of this time period's opinion of women, it wouldn't do to walk the streets in her skintight catsuit. Something told her the Renaissance was lacking in the "costumed superheroes and villains" department. And since she was keeping a low profile, asking for directions or any specific questions wouldn't do. Not yet, anyways. It didn't seem wise to snatch someone up in the shadows and start interrogating them. She soon discovered that when she whispered to herself, she understood the meaning of her words but they were immediately coming out in Italian. She understood a few words in her time doing work with the Falcone crime syndicate but never made the effort to speak fluently. Yet now she realized even her own inner thoughts were suddenly in another language. That proved to be remarkably convenient.

When she was feeling especially bold, she made an effort to lurk into the windows of the houses. If there was any doubt in her mind that she was dreaming, it was killed when she watched and observed the people of this time period interacting with their families in the safety of their homes. The smell of the meat cooking and the bread baking, the sound of the cracking and popping logs on the fireplace, the mothers reprimanding their naughty children (not only could she speak in Italian but could understand exactly what they were saying as well), as well as the gossip and discussion of marriage and possible suitors for their teenaged sons and daughters. It was more certainly a different time and an entirely different culture from that of Gotham City.

Her curiosity hadn't been fully sated, but her priorities began to kick back in. She had to find a means of getting back into Gotham City. When she arrived on the rooftops of Florence, she noticed the portal was no longer behind her. Yet some nagging feeling in the back of her mind told her that it simply hadn't vanished, but _jumped_. It was hard to describe how she just knew it to be true. Perhaps it was hopeless optimism; she _had_ jumped into the portal without any real game plan or means of returning. But, if the League of Shadows were clever enough to find their way here and back again, it should prove no challenge for her.

_So, if I were a time machine in Florence during the Italian Renaissance, where would I hide? _

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of cruel laughter from below. Selina moved to the edge of the rooftop and crouched down, peering over the edge and caught a glimpse of a beautiful young woman being followed by a man. The young lady was adorned in a modest but gorgeous gown of orange and gold which made her stand out in the dark like a treasure. The lecher following after her was tall, thin, and very pale with long greasy hair. He was dressed in a grey tunic and Selina couldn't help but be happy that such an outfit went out of style. The man moved ahead of the girl and stopped her as she was about to enter a building. To Selina's surprise, the girl wasn't nearly as horrified as she would have expected her to be.

"I told you. I'm not interested." the girl snapped, but it did little to deter the man.

"_Si_… but I am." was the man's response as he approached her.

"Then get in line." Selina almost chuckled at that as the girl shoved her stalker out of the way, only to be grabbed by the arm. With a frown, she slipped her goggles over her face and found herself scaling down the edge of the building, watching as the man shoved the the girl up against the wall of the building.

"I think not, _amore mio_," he snapped, pinning her body against his and reaching for the front of her bodice. "I've decided I'm tired of waiting for you to open your legs on your own-"

"That'll be enough of that."

Selina's voice prompted a gasp from both of them. The man was dumb enough to start looking around him, but the girl had looked straight up and found herself staring right into Selina's face. Selina's goggles caught the light and seemed to glow and she didn't realize just how much of a hellcat she must have looked, because the girl almost looked too afraid to start screaming. Just as she was about to make her move on the attacker, that was when she noticed he had released his hold on the girl and turned his attention to something else.

"I think you're disturbing this young lady's day, Vieri."

The voice was enough to make Selina freeze in place. The look of surprise must have registered on her face because the girl certainly noticed it. Turning her attention to the voice, Selina saw a young man approaching the scene and in a hurry decided to scale her way into the nearest shadowy part of the alley. She uncoiled her whip and with a few quick flicks of her wrist she found her way to a different rooftop. The young man who entered the scene was certainly more handsome than Vieri and better dressed, at that. It was too dark to make out his face but Selina could tell that his hair was long and tied back out of his face, and he wore a vest over a white shirt rather than the silly thing Vieri was wearing. It did not take long for the two to confront each other and within moments their fists were flying.

_Hm. Maybe this world has a few superheroes of it's own. _Selina thought to herself and lowered her head back down to the pretty lady in distress...

...Who was looking straight up at her. Even with her little disappearing act, the girl was still able to follow her and find her location again. And this time, there was more curiosity in her face rather than outright horror. As much as Selina wanted to stay and watch the brawl unfold, this girl suddenly made her uncomfortable. Not just anybody could track her like that, and as quickly as she had done. With some hesitation, she removed herself from her perch and made a hasty retreat into another alley.

"Wait!"

The voice undoubtedly came from her. Apparently the brawling men proved to be of no interest to the Florentine beauty. Selina glanced over her shoulder and saw the girl rushing through the alleys, keeping her eyes on the rooftops and doing her best to keep up. All things considered, Selina could've easily lost her. She wasn't entirely sure why she was slowing down and making it easy for her to keep up.

_Curiouser and curiouser. Miss Alice traded in following white rabbits to following black cats. _

Perhaps it was a bad idea for Selina to dive down into the alley. She landed on the cobblestone path several yards down from where the girl was and rose to her full height. The shadows of the dark city made her silhouette look intimidating enough to stop the girl in her tracks. In her heels, Selina stood a foot taller than the girl and the light of the moon shown off of the surface of her goggles, giving the illusion of two large eyes glowing in the dark. The girl on the other hand did not look so fearsome. She was absolutely beautiful, with a small heart-shaped face and long brown hair that was pinned up by gold hair clips and pearl bands. She was out of breath and her chest rose and dropped with every pant, but she didn't look nearly as scared as she did a few moments ago.

"_Signorina,_ I…" she took a moment to breathe again and then stood up straight. "You were going to help me back there, weren't you?"

Selina tilted her head to the side. A handsome man came to her rescue, got into a brawl with her attacker, but she was more interested in the cat woman? That was certainly unexpected.

"I know you were," the girl continued when Selina did not respond. "What are you? I have," she hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I have never seen anything like you before."

THe girl couldn't see it, but Selina couldn't help but smile. Still, maybe this had been a bad idea to get involved. If she would have noticed that man coming, she would have watched the entire thing play out from a distance. But it was a little too late for her to tell a stubborn woman to just forget about everything she saw.

"I am Catwoman."

Her response was enough to fill the young woman's eyes with light. For a moment she wondered if she had recognized the name, but surely the League of Shadows wouldn't just go around talking about her to the townsfolk. Selina stood there and watched as the girl moved her way to her. She stopped when she was only about three meters from her only because it looked like Selina was about to run. Immediately the girl's hands moved up to stop her.

"Please don't run, I… I just wanted to thank you." she leaned in, desperately trying to get a look at the face of the cat woman. Selina shook her head.

"That boy took care of your attacker for me. Really, you should probably thank him instead." as if on cue, Selina lifted her head and looked over the girl. "Speaking of which-"

As expected, the handsome man from before had won the fight, but Selina wondered if he was also chasing after the shadowy cat woman or if he was chasing down the beautiful girl. To her surprise, the girl didn't even bother to turn and look at him. Instead, she closed the space between herself and the thief, and Selina felt her take hold of her gloved hands. Surely at this close proximity, there was no way the girl couldn't make out that the "eyes" of the Catwoman were really a mask of sorts that hid all but Selina's small nose and full lips.

"My name is Cristina," the girl whispered to her. "I wanted to tell you before you run away from him… I will not forget what you were going to do for me."

"_Che cazzo!_ What is that!?" the man's voice was enough to rip Cristina's attention away from Selina. In that moment, Selina turned away from her and leapt into the air, swinging her whip onto the nearest ledge of the building and sending her flying away from the two.

This time she fled the scene as quickly as possible, completely unaware that she had left her newly made friend in the loving hands of one of the greatest assassins in human history.


	3. Chapter 2

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Chapter Two

Over the course of a few days, many strange things followed the night of Vieri de'Pazzi's attempt on Cristina's maiden virtue.

First, the rumors of '_la donna gatta'_ started to reappear all over the city, much to the surprise of Cristina and her savior, Ezio Auditore. At first it was a well kept secret between the two. In the dark of the night, Ezio was almost certain that Cristina was in the presence of some kind of demon that was ready to lure her away. He still wasn't entirely convinced by the story of how the _gatta_ was just about to rescue her before he confronted Vieri, but that he relaxed when Cristina gave him a full description of the woman. She was not an actual cat, but a woman dressed like one, though it did not explain how she was able to flee the scene so quickly. In order to prevent any unnecessary worry and paranoia, the two decided to keep this incident to themselves, though it would seem the cat woman was hellbent on making their secret a hard one to keep. While nobody had a chance to really see her for themselves, the cats of the neighborhood all seemed to be acting strangely whenever the shadows of a larger and more human-like cat appeared at night.

Second, the amount of men visiting the doctors covered in bruises, bloody gashes and claw marks seemed to increase dramatically. The wounds were most certainly the result of some kind of weapon, though the men claimed to have been mauled by some kind of animal. It did not go unnoticed that the men being treated for their wounds were frequent visitors to the local brothels and all of which had a very bad reputation among the prostitutes. Ezio only knew of this when the family maid Annetta brought it up after visiting her sister. The rumor was each and every one of those men had been attacked from something that manifested from the darkness but moved too quickly for the witnesses to tell what it was. It struck hard and fast and left them broken and bleeding on the street, but only in the events where a negotiation with a prostitute went very badly. Ezio recalled the speed of the cat woman that left Cristina behind, and how she seemingly vanished into the night like a phantom. Could it have been the same person? Cristina was absolutely certain that she was going to save her that night. It seemed far too good of a coincidence for the two stories to not be connected in some way.

Third, and strangest of all, is that the crime of theft seemed to increase within a short amount of time. While nobody was hurt, several families reported missing items from their homes: sometimes it was food and wine, other times it was pieces of expensive clothing, jewelry, even commissioned art. Ezio only learned of this after eavesdropping into a conversation between his mother and her new acquaintance, one Leonardo Da Vinci. Cristina had reported similar discussions among her circle of friends and relatives, though none of her personal belongings went missing. Because of this, the guards had made a stronger effort to punish and imprison the local thieves and pickpockets throughout the city, though nobody was taking responsibility for some of the elaborate and sometimes insane heists that were pulled off.

"I was told that the gold and silver from the church was stolen, recently," Cristina's voice was low but casual as she and Ezio walked through the quiet streets of Firenze. The twilight sky was fading from gold to blue and Ezio had taken it upon himself to escort her to her home before night fell. "Not many people could steal from the church and get away with it."

"Do you think it was her?" Ezio whispered back with an amused expression. Cristina shot him a knowing glance, and he knew she had no doubt in her mind that it was the same person. "Strange lady, to steal treasures from the church but save the beautiful girls."

"You call it strange," Cristina looked ahead with the brightest smile Ezio ever saw on a young lady. "I would call it heroic."

In an unexpected turn of events, their encounter with the cat woman had brought them together. Even if the rumors were spreading throughout the city, it was still their secret and their hidden truth. As it would turn out, they soon discovered that they were nearly inseparable now that they were together. Cristina's wit and ahead-of-her-time independence brought out Ezio's unconditional affection and charm. It was impossible for anybody on the street to look at them and see nothing but a budding, adoring romance in it's earliest stages. Still, just as the cat woman had brought them together, she had left a part of herself within both of them. Ezio couldn't erase the shadowy image of the monster he saw in the night, while Cristina held on to the memory of the beauty she saw in the moonlight who had tried to rescue her, and who continued to rescue other women.

"You keep sighing away like that when you think of her," Ezio teased. "I might be getting a little jealous."

With that, Cristina smacked his arm with the back of her hand. "_Ah, che presuntuoso!_" she laughed as he feigned injury. "Besides, it is I who should be a bit jealous. I think I would very much like to be someone like her."

"_Il gatta e l'aquila_, what a pair we'd make." his voice was still lighthearted, but Cristina couldn't help but notice the tone shift at the mention of them being a pair. She turned her head again to catch Ezio's hazel eyes staring into her dark ones. They maintained eye contact for a few long moments before Ezio leaned his head in just enough to touch her forehead with his.

"I like you just as you are, Cristina. You shouldn't aim to be anybody but yourself. You are more than good enough as you are."

It was meant to be a compliment. To the best of her ability she tried to treat it as such, but she could not shake the feeling that to remain as she was would prevent her from achieving what she knew to be greatness.

"I suppose you are right," she muttered, but did not push the conversation further.

When they stopped at the gates of her home but remained hidden in the shadows to prevent any unwelcome attention from the townsfolk. Italy may have been a renowned country of romance but it would not do to ruin Cristina's reputation in such a religious community. Ezio brushed a few strands of her out of her face before she leaned in close to kiss him goodnight. It was meant to be a soft, quick kiss but to her surprise, he had moved his arms around her and pulled her closer. She smiled against his soft lips and moved her arms around his shoulders, deepening the kiss and savoring the taste of his lips and the scent of his skin. Each night he made it just a little more difficult for her to pull herself away from him, and each night she resisted the urge to invite him into her chamber. Italian virgins were especially important to families with daughters. They would need to be careful before it ever came to that.

"Goodnight, Ezio." she whispered as she pulled away from him.

His hands slid down her arms and to her hands as she backed away. Her small hands slipped through his fingers as he watched her turn away from him and make her way out of the shadows and into her home. He needed to remind himself to thank Federico for pushing him to talk to her. Perhaps someday he would thank the mysterious cat woman for giving them something to bond over. No sooner did the thought cross his mind, he caught a quick movement in the corner of his eye. Ezio turned his head quickly but saw nothing but the empty streets around him. His head lifted to the rooftops, but he still found nothing out of the ordinary above him. Still, it would take more than that to sate his instincts and without hesitation he rushed across the street to the nearest wall. It was hard to find the nooks and ledges of the architecture in the dark, but he managed to climb his way up along the walls and windows of the building and pull himself onto the rooftop.

_There! _He would have missed it if he hadn't climbed the wall when he did. It was only a glimpse of a person leaping down from the rooftops, but there was only one person it could have possibly been.

Ezio broke into a sprint across the rooftops, leaping over the gaps between the houses and villas and praying to all the gods of Rome and Christendom that he would make it in time. He did his damndest to run without stomping along the tiles of the rooftops which proved harder than he could've ever imagined. By the time he reached his destination, he realized didn't matter if he brought down the entire roof with all the noise he heard from the alley below. Ezio skidded to a halt before reaching the edge of the roof and heard several Italian curse words and the occasional scream of pain fill the air. He glanced down and saw five guards taking turns attempting to kill what appeared to be a very tall, black cat.

Because the night had just begun to fall, the darkness did not give the full and almost terrifying effect that it had before. And yet Ezio had no doubt in his mind that this was the same cat woman that Cristina had told him about. At first glance, he was almost certain that her skin was black and the cat ears were real, but as the fight progressed further, he caught a glimpse of the pale white skin of her breasts, throat, and the lower half of her face. The glowing eyes were most certainly a mask of some sort, and the black "skin" was not skin at all; it was her clothes. Tight black clothes that hugged every inch of her beautiful body. It peaked Ezio's interest to say the very least.

"Return the gold you have stolen, _demone_!" one of the guards shouted as he swung his axe towards the cat woman.

She replied by rushing him, ducking under the blade of the weapon and smacking him on his backside as she rushed past him. As he turned to follow her she had leapt onto the wall of the nearest building and leapt across it with far more skill and precision than Ezio ever had.

"What does a church need with gold?" the cat purred and dangled a small cloth bag out in the open, like a child goading a kitten with a cat toy. "Surely you could used what you already have to feed and clothe some of your own people?"

"You devil…! Shoot her!"

Ezio watched as two of the guards armed with bows and arrows took aim for the cat, but he knew it would be useless. The cat was merely playing with them and dodged the arrows with no effort. She scaled the rest of the wall, leaping from side to side and arriving to the roofs in just three strong jumps. The look of pure amusement on her face was priceless, but the look on her face when she saw Ezio standing on the roof across from her was one he would never forget. She took a step away from the edge of the roof to avoid any arrows but didn't take her eyes off of him. At first she assumed he was ready to attack her, but the smile on his face told her otherwise. She tilted her head to the side and looked him over, sizing him up a bit (in more ways than one) before raising her eyebrows in approval. Then she turned around and rushed across the roof.

"Hey, _aspetta!_" Ezio shouted. He cleared over the gap between the rooftops and went rushing after her. "Come back, I'm not going to hurt you!"

Did she just giggle? It was hard to tell from all the noise they were making on the rooftops but he had no doubt that the thought amused her. If five trained guards couldn't kill her, he certainly would have his hands full.

"I just want to talk!" Ezio shouted again as he cleared over another gap. He stumbled a bit upon landing but kept up the pace. "You were the one with Cristina, weren't you?"

Of all things to possibly stop her, that one did. The cat slowed to a halt and Ezio stopped in his tracks. This time when she turned to face him, she removed her "cat eyes" from her face and Ezio actually gaped at how lovely she was. She was no "cat" at all, but a _belladonna_ in her own league! Her face was pale and heart shaped with high cheekbones, a small nose, full lips, and the brightest green eyes he had ever seen in his life. Suddenly he understood perfectly well why Cristina was quite taken with her.

"The boy who came and saved her. Is that who you are?" she asked and Ezio was shocked when she moved in close enough to touch his face.

Her "claws" were gloves that were tipped with talon-like spikes, but she was gentle enough to not cut him. He stood very still and allowed her to examine his face, that look of amusement never leaving her as those bright eyes raked over him. He resisted the urge to bite his lip as her thumb brushed over his chin. Her face was so close to his that he could have kissed her if he were daring enough, and when she pulled away with mild disappointment, he wondered if he should have.

"Well, I can see why she'd like you." she purred and stepped away from him. "Did I really leave that much of an impression on her?"

Ezio chuckled and crossed his arms in front of him. "You've been our secret. The whole town has been talking about you, but only we know about the real _gatta donna._" his eyes fell to the small bag of stolen riches at her waist. "So some of the rumors were true, then? You've been stealing from the church?"

The cat woman's hand smoothed over the bag and she gave him a knowing look. "You're not here to make a citizen's arrest, are you?"

Ezio shook his head and waved his hands. "No, no, it's no business of mine what you do with your treasures! But I wonder, are you also the one who has been attacking the men at the brothels?"

At that, her claws extended farther. She lifted her hand up to inspect them and turned her body away from him. He was sweet, but this conversation was getting a little dull for her. "Right again," she smirked at him and wiggled her fingers. "I don't have to warn you about what happens to boys who are mean to hard working girls, do I?"

"Hard working?" the actual confusion in his face and tone caused Selina to roll her eyes. He watched as she turned away from him and knew he had to think of something to keep her from leaving then and there. "I- I suppose it must be a very difficult life for a woman in that… business. I guess I never thought about it much. It was good of you to protect them."

Now _that _impressed her. At least enough to make her turn back around and look at him again. "I'm happy to hear that. But, as a hard working girl myself, I need to run along now. There's more business to attend to."

She did look rather anxious to leave and Ezio knew he couldn't stop her if he wanted to. But all the same, he reached out and touched her hand. She flinched when he did so but did not react with violence. Instead he moved in close, just as Cristina had, and whispered into her ear,

"Ezio Auditore. And I hope we will meet again."

_Quite a charmer, isn't he?_ the thought crossed her mind and with her other hand, she drew a line down the center of his chest. He glanced down to follow her fingers but unintentionally found himself staring at her breasts. The cat woman noticed almost immediately and bent her knees to lower herself to meet his eyes.

"Hm, if we meet again, feel free to invite Cristina." she said with a wink. Her suggestion left him stunned just long enough for her to make a hasty getaway.


	4. Chapter 3

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Chapter Three

Having spent the past week looking for a means of returning to Gotham, Selina had to make due with living in Florence while still keeping a low profile. Luck was not on her side in her journey to finding a way back. If she was to find another machine that generated it's own time anomalies, she needed a good idea as to where it would be located. And with no friends or allies to help her look, she was entirely on her own.

Since she was going to be here for quite some time, it made sense to try and blend in with her surroundings rather than stay hidden during the day. This was harder than it looked, even when she did acquire appropriate clothing and did he damndest to blend in with the hustle and bustle of Renaissance-era Firenze. But there were a few times she caught the attention of a few lingering shadows who she assumed were the League of Shadows. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself among the women of Florence that gave her away, but she knew one would have to be exceedingly clever to pick her out.

Every now and then, she caught a glimpse of a few particularly shady individuals who were a little too clever to just be mere thieves and attempted-rapists. They always kept their distance, but she noticed that they were always watching her. And she would let them watch her, and would bide her time until she noticed they were retreating. And yet, every time she was about to get a lead on them, they were able to lose her. As there was no apparent attempt on her life, she decided to keep up this game of cat and mouse for as long as it kept her amused and occupied.

But the night came where she ran out of rooftops to sprint across and alleys to disappear into. And she also noticed that there was more than just one of these strange characters coming after her. If it was the League of Shadows or someone else, she wanted to be sure she knew before fully engaging them. And she realized it would only work to her advantage if she hid herself in one of the houses if it meant losing them.

She never thought in a million years it would be the house of the girl she met in the streets on her first night in town.

When Selina came flying into the room unexpectedly, Cristina had been at her dresser and began to take down the clips and buns in her hair. If she hadn't recognized the cat woman immediately she might have screamed when she saw her. As it turned out, the excitement and wonder lit up her dark eyes and she rose from her chair in a hurry. Selina couldn't help but grin at the coincidence as well as the transparency of nightgowns during this time period. She closed the window shutters behind her and lifted her goggles off of her eyes, resting them on her forehead.

"Hello again," she grinned, then tilted her head in the direction of the window. "Hope you don't mind if I hide out for a moment or two."

A look of concern crossed Cristina's face as she moved across the room to meet her. "Are the guards following you?"

Suddenly it occurred to Selina that perhaps hiding out in this house was a grave mistake. But it wouldn't do to have her panic. Perhaps the less Cristina knew about the League of Shadows or Selina's little stalkers, the safer she would be. So rather than front herself off she chuckled and crossed her arms.

"They didn't see me hop in here. But I'd rather wait awhile before I head back out." she chuckled.

Selina's eyes raked over the girl's body, taking in the fullness of her hips and breasts and the slender curve of her waist and hips. Perhaps it was an attempt to make her uncomfortable and to keep her distance. As it turned out, Cristina didn't seem to mind the attention. On the contrary, the Florentine beauty moved closer to her and took Selina's hand into hers.

"I had hoped I would see you again." she whispered. "When Ezio said he saw you, I had hoped…"

In an interesting turn of events Selina felt her own heart pounding as the girl moved even closer. Her gloved hand moved to the girl's face, brushing a few strands of her dark hair out of her eyes and recognized that undeniable look of infatuation.

_Maybe camping out here wasn't such a bad idea after all._

"I hoped to run into you again, too." Selina confessed, and her voice was low and sultry. She moved her face closer to Cristina's, slowly, making her intentions and motives known, and seemed very amused as the girl parted her lips into a slight gasp. "I didn't expect it to be like this."

Cristina's eyes fluttered closed the moment she felt Selina's soft lips against hers. The first kiss was a tease, but was followed up with a stronger one. Only when Selina felt her move her lips against hers did she deepen the connection, sliding her tongue across Cristina's lips and teasing her further. The Italian maiden shuddered against her as Selina kissed her harder, lightly biting her lower lip and encircling her arms around her body. Cristina's hands timidly moved up Selina's sides and back down again, brushing over her ribs and hips but unsure of where to settle them. It occurred to the thief that while bisexuality was alive and well during this time, the stigma against it was as well. The girl must have had conflicting feelings regarding everything that was happening, and with this in mind she pulled away from her.

"Do you want me to stop?" Selina whispered.

Cristina moved her head back and found herself staring into Selina's bright green eyes. While the cat woman was holding onto her, her grip was cradling rather than restraining. She could have pushed her away or backed out of her embrace at any moment, but didn't. Instead, she turned away from her and Selina watched as the girl leaned her back against her chest, tilted her head back to look up at her, and moved her arm to touch Selina's face. With another mischievous grin, Selina lowered her lips onto Cristina's and kissed her longer. Her gloved hand curled around the one caressing her cheek, but the other moved to the front of silky nightgown. Cristina moaned into her kisses as Selina's hand brushed over her breast, massaging her nipple through the fabric before groping the soft flesh. Selina moved away from her mouth and trailed her kisses along the arch of her neck, continuing the loving assault on the girl's breasts while moving her now freed hand down along the side of her body.

"_Catwoman…"_ the breathy words escaped from Cristina's lips as Selina moved her hand to massage her other breast. She kissed along her neck and lightly nipped at her earlobe, feeling her shiver with esctasy.

"_Selina_," she corrected, and slipped her thumbs within the top of her breasts. "My name is Selina,"

Whether it was the gesture of entrusting her with her name or the fact that Selina began to pinch and tug at her nipples, Cristina let out a pleasured whine before her hands moved to the short sleeves of her nightie. When Selina noticed the clothing slipping down her partner's naked body, she giggled against her skin and kissed the back of her neck, groping and massaging her breasts as she trailed her kisses down Cristina's back before moving back to her ear again.

"You're a little impatient, aren't you?" she teased.

Cristina squirmed against her and turned her body to face her, providing Selina with a view of her small breasts. Selina wanted nothing more than to shower them with kisses but Cristina was feeling bolder, and wrapped her fingers around Selina's zipper. Suddenly that hazy look of infatuation turned into something more wanting as the Italian beauty tugged the zipper down, slowly exposing Selina's body. With a grin, Selina watched as the girl moved forward, pressing her lips on a spot between Selina's breast. What began as soft and experimental progressed into a gentle suckling. Selina responded with a soft moan and gently moved her hand to the back of Cristina's head. This prompted Cristina to gently run the tip of her tongue around Selina's aroused, protruding nipple before teasing them with her teeth and lips. She pulled away from Selina's warm breast and her hands moved to her chest, pushing away the fabric of her catsuit to reveal both of her perfect breasts. She only paused for a moment, unsure of what to do further, which almost made Selina laugh. Clearly this was this girl's first time doing this sort of thing with another woman. Perhaps she ought to show her how it was done.

Selina moved her arms around her partner, pulling her close against her and recapturing her lips. As Cristina moved her hands to the sides of Selina's face to deepen the kiss, Selina removed her gloves from behind her partner's back and tossed them onto the dresser near the bed. Then she undid the straps and buckles along the sides of her catsuit, but did not remove it. It wouldn't do if Cristina couldn't have her fun on this very exciting evening. She did remove her choker and her cat-like helmet, which was enough to deter Cristina from her teasing and look up to see the cat woman in her more human form: the most beautiful woman she had ever laid eyes on, with short black hair, bright green eyes, and regular human ears. Not a cat at all, but certainly as playful and mischievous as one. Selina tilted her head to the side, flashing Cristina a playful look as she combed her fingers through her hair.

"Going to stop so soon?" she teased. "Just when it was getting interesting, too."

While Cristina had been distracted by the revelation of the cat woman, she did not noticed Selina's freed hand moved between her thighs and stroked between her wet lips. A wave of euphoria jolted through her within a moment and was gone just as quickly. But she knew she wanted it back, more than ever. Selina moved her wet fingers to her lips and giggled as she licked them clean. This caused the inexperienced girl to blush and shift nervously, reinforcing Selina's theory that she hadn't dealt with this sort of situation yet.

"So, you and that boy haven't played around like this, have you?" Selina asked and watched as a pang of guilt crossed Cristina's face.

"I am a virgin, yes…" she replied and Selina shook her head.

"There's no such thing as virginity, angel." she said, much to the girl's surprise. "It's just a man's tactic to control a woman from enjoying herself and nothing more."

At that, Cristina shook her head. "But, on the wedding night, when she bleeds,"

"It's because she wasn't aroused. It's because her bridegroom didn't get her all excited, like you are now." Selina moved her hand to Cristina's stomach and brushed her nails lightly against the skin. "If you're feeling guilty about that boy, we can always stop. Or," Selina bent forward and lowered to her knees, kissing the girl's stomach and moving lower. "...I can show you a few things to get you ready for that wedding night."

It was a moment of temptation in it's purest form. Cristina couldn't help but find it odd that Selina was mindful of her relationship to Ezio, while at the same time longed to please her. But would this evening, should it progress further, be a betrayal to him? Selina noticed the conflict all over her face and slowly shook her head at her. It wouldn't do to pressure her into something that she'd regret. Why ruin any potential for future encounters? But just as Selina was about to rise to her feet, she felt Cristina's arms around her neck and shoulders, applying just enough force to keep her from leaving.

"What… _things_ are you referring to?" she asked, and Selina kissed her stomach again. Cristina trembled as the cat woman's hands moved up along the back of her thighs and cupped her bottom, but all the muscles in her lower body tensed as Selina kissed beneath her navel and moved lower.

"Sit down," Selina whispered, and Cristina obliged her.

` She lowered herself onto the edge of her bed and watched as Selina's fingers opened over the strong muscles of her thighs. Cristina's face flushed but she put no resistance as Selina parted her legs. The mild embarrassment of this new experience was evident and it would benefit nobody if she didn't take the edge off.

"You know, this latex really makes a girl sweat," Selina tugged on the fabric of her suit and winked at Cristina. "If you don't mind."

All she needed to do was just tug on the catsuit until it fell off of Selina's shoulders. As Selina rose to her feet, Cristina pulled the suit the rest of the way down, revealing every inch of Selina's beautiful body. Never before had the Florentine maiden saw so much muscle on another woman, and the scars and discoloration of past injuries. Cristina's small hand moved down the line of Selina's toned stomach, admiring and caressing her belly, hips, and thighs as Selina stepped out of the costume. She bent her knees and slowly lowered herself until she was at eye level with Cristina.

"Still interested?" she asked, and smirked as Cristina replied with a very enthusiastic "yes." Selina leaned forward and kissed the curve of her neck, moving up to a sensitive place behind her ear while her hands stroked down her back. "_Lie back,"_ she whispered.

Cristina closed her eyes as her body leaned backwards, tumbling onto the bed as Selina moved ontop of her. The cat kissed along her shoulder and clavicle while her nails traced soft, curving lines across the skin on her hips. Her other hand glided over Cristina's small breast, squeezing it while brushing her thumb over the hardening nipple. Selina's kisses moved down to capture the other breast, nipping at it with her teeth before kissing and suckling on it. Cristina's body shivered and trembled at the tender affection. Her hand moved to the back of Selina's head, gently gripping a handful of her hair as the thief continued the assault on her breast.

_Thank God for giving me two hands_, Selina thought to herself as her fingers slid down to Cristina's waist.

Her nails brushed the skin beneath the navel before gradually traveling lower. She brushed over the soft patch of hair between Cristina's legs and felt the girl tremble beneath her. LIfting her mouth from her breast, Selina looked up to see the hazy and highly aroused Cristina gazing back at her through her half closed eyes. Her hand moved lower and she slipped her fingers to the hot, wet flesh between Cristina's legs. Using just the tip of her finger, she began circling the small gathering of nerves at the tip of her lower lips and Cristina's entire body reacted to it. Her legs tensed, then relaxed as Selina continued this gentle, fluid motion with her fingers. The thief moved her mouth away from Cristina's breast and slowly crawled her way towards the edge of the bed. Cristina trembled at the feeling of Selina's lips moving along her inner thigh and then felt every inch of her body quiver when Selina's fingertips were replaced with something warmer and softer. The Italian maiden lifted her head slightly to see Selina's head buried between her legs and gasped in both surprise and bliss as the cat woman pleasured her with her tongue.

Selina closed her eyes and felt the girl's hips move against her face. Her tongue ran along the length of Cristina's womanhood before focusing on the sweet spot that her fingers had been toying with. She used just the tip of her tongue to draw several small circles around the bundle of nerves and was pleased when Cristina's thighs cradled her head. She felt her body rising and falling, feeling all of these new and exciting sensations for the first time. Cristina turned her head to the side, raising the back of her hand to her lips to try and drown out the soft whimpering but Selina still made out her name being whispered between those sweet gasps of ecstasy. She rewarded her by moving her hand between her legs, palm upward, and gently pushing her fingers inside. At that, Cristina cried out but felt no pain nor discomfort. Selina continued playing with her tongue as she slid her fingers in and out in a soft, fluid motion. It was mimicking what Cristina's future experiences with men would be, but Selina had no desire to stop there. When her fingers were pushed deep inside of her partner, she curled her fingers, making a "come hither" gesture to rub against another sweet spot hidden within her.

Cristina's back arched as she gave another muffled cry. Her arm moved down to Selina's hair, holding it close before fisting a handful of her hair. Selina replied by licking her faster and continuing that motion with her fingers. Cristina's heartbeat fluttered in her chest, feeling the warmth building within her. Her breathing intensified and her legs tensed, but Selina did not stop. She bit down on her bottom lip, feeling the overwhelming sensation building and rising with every motion of Selina's tongue and fingers. Then suddenly, almost against her will, her hips began to roll and rock against Selina's face as a wave of pleasure rushed through her. Cristina's eyes fluttered closed as she cried out in her euphoria. Selina felt the walls of her womanhood close in around her fingers but continued to lick her faster, relentlessly, driving her partner to the point of madness. The first wave of her orgasm had been intense and almost unbearable, but when the second one rushed over her it took everything in Cristina's willpower not to scream and risk waking her family. Her body trembled, her legs tightened around Selina, and then she relaxed against the mattress of her soft bed.

Selina removed her wet fingers and moved her head away from her. She wiped her lips of the hot, wet mess Cristina had made on her mouth and chin and then she moved up beside her. For a moment Cristina just lay there in a blissful silence, her breasts rising and falling as she caught her breath. When she turned her head and opened her eyes to see Selina resting at her side, she immediately leaned in to kiss her. Selina giggled into her kiss and curled up against her. One of her strong legs moved around Cristina's body as she pulled her closer. Cristina's tongue twined with hers, tasting herself on Selina's lips and oddly enough being aroused by it. Selina pulled away from her and shifted her body, rolling Cristina on top of her and grinning up at her with that mischievous look.

"You want to go again?" the cat purred, holding onto Cristina's hips and watching her expression. That need for excitement and pleasure had not disappeared, and while she had been satisfied, she was more than ready to go further.

"I want you." Cristina said as she leaned down to kiss her. Selina moved her hands up her back and felt the younger woman's hands fondle her breasts as she kissed her harder. "And… I want to do this with you again…" she whispered between her kisses.

With a grin, Selina shifted her body so that Cristina's lap rested on her shoulders. She gave her one last knowing look before moving her head up against that sweet place again and watched as Cristina threw her head back in another gasp of pleasure.

Unbeknownst to the two lovers, the closed shutters of the window had been cracked open.


	5. Chapter 4

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Chapter Four

There was a throbbing in her right temple that pulsed so hard she could feel it in her eye socket. The dried, crusty mess on her nose and and swollen lip was most certainly blood and there was a familiar stinging sensation on her shoulder. This wasn't the first time she woke up like this but it sure as hell wasn't her favorite way to start her day either. When her blurred vision finally came into focus, Selina found herself staring up at the stone ceiling of a very dark room. She was laying flat on her back against a very uncomfortable, wooden table that felt more like a mix between a giant ladder and huge rolling pins. An odd combination for sure, especially when she discovered that her wrists and ankles were tied down with ropes.

_Either the pretty Italian girl has some interesting kinks, or Talia must've got the jump on me... wait a moment..._

How long had she been asleep? The evening she spent with Cristina felt as if it had only just taken place, and yet felt as if days, if not weeks had gone by. There hadn't been any alcohol involved during their romantic fling and she didn't remember eating anything that could have been laced with any drugs or poisons or some Renaissance-era Rohypnol. After their little endeavor, Cristina had fallen asleep. Selina waited a moment before sneaking out through the window, if only to make sure that whatever had been following her was long gone. So then what happened?

She struggled with the ropes, testing the strength of them. Whoever had her took the liberty of removing her gloves, so there would be no easy escape. Not impossible, but would certainly take time that she wasn't entire sure she had. Whoever her captors were, they were at least kind enough to keep her clothes and boots on. Thankfully this wasn't her first time being in this situation. Harvey "Two Face" Dent had her hanging upside down by her feet over a boiling pot of acid and she managed to slip out of that one alive. Apparently while her captors tied up her feet they never thought to check just how sharp the little details on her boots were. The laces, the buckets, even the heels could shred up an opponent if her kicks were strong enough. Just a little trick she had picked up from an old friend who found a genius way of turning razor wire into fabric. With a few twists and shimmies of her ankles, she heard and could feel the tight ropes slowly loosening.

_Just don't lose your head, Selina. Something tells me they only left you for a hot second. Keep going._

While her primary objective was to free her legs, she did her best to try and loosen the ropes on her wrists. But whoever tied her up clearly wanted to make sure that she wouldn't try such a thing. It took awhile for her to manage to get her nails to scratch at the ropes and even then it still wasn't working to her advantage. Once her legs were free she was going to have to put her flexibility to use and try to use her boots to cut the ropes without cutting herself in the process.

_Really, me all tied up, lifting my leg that high, wearing all this latex? This could've been a great night too. Who had to go ahead and spoil the milk for this needy little kitten? That girl's boyfriend isn't behind all this, is he?_

Suddenly it hit her like a punch to the face. One that left her with a fat lip and a pounding headache, to be exact. Cristina's boyfriend. The one who talked to her on the rooftops after she fought those guards. She remembered his face and his voice, more importantly she remembered how he honestly couldn't keep up with her as she ran across the rooftops. There was no way in a million years he would've been able to get the jump on her. This had to be the work of the League of Shadows. The men Selina had fought must have woken up, told their leader, and came in after her. It was the only explanation that made sense to her. They were the only ones who knew about the little time machine and the fact that she had slipped into the past. So why was that boy's face suddenly coming back to her?

_'Ezio Auditore. And I hope we will meet again.'_

She remembered the look of pure wonder and astonishment he had for her. He seemed young and sweet, and judging from how he came to Cristina's rescue, something like this felt so beneath him. What on earth made her so convinced that all of this was somehow connected back to him?

At that moment, before she could feel the ropes on her ankles break, she heard footsteps approaching. She had run out of time. The room was too dark for her to really observe her surroundings but within the moment, candlelight filled the room as the heavy door opened. A group of men poured into her chamber, lighting the candles along the walls and slowly revealing the torture chamber that Selina found herself in. Her eyes were suddenly big, but she refused to panic just yet. Getting out of this room alive was going to be a very messy process, especially when she realized she was tied down to the famous torture device known as the rack. For the time being, she stopped moving so as not to attract the attention of the men who entered the room, one by one. Two of them appeared to be monks or some kind of clergymen with their long, dark robes and shaved heads. Following behind them was a heavyset man with a large face, gray hair, a more ornate red robe and a strange hat, who was accompanied by two burlier, scruffier men who most likely would carry out her torture. One by one they all moved into her line of vision with the two burlier men moving to either side of her.

And then she saw him. He was the last to enter the room and the last to come into the open, but his walk and his mannerisms were most certainly familiar to her. And although his white hood covered most of his face, the candle light revealed enough of him for her to recognize him.

But it wasn't Ezio.

"Hey," Selina smiled and followed his movements with her eyes. "Don't you have a younger, more handsome version of yourself running around these parts?"

That was enough to stop him in his tracks, but he remained just as unflinching as she was. This was going to be interesting. The other men in the room suddenly turned their attention to this hooded man but returned their gaze back to her. She stifled a laugh but leaned back against the rack as comfortable as one could manage.

"You'll forgive me if I'm not exactly scared right now, boys. This little city of yours is the set of a romantic comedy compared to Gotham City. Besides, it's not my first time in an S&amp;M chamber."

Whether it was her carelessness or her strange choice of words that rendered them very confused, she wasn't sure. She was going to have to remind herself that her sarcasm would fall on deaf ears to people who never saw a television, let alone had an understanding as to what a movie set was. They muttered something amongst each other and Selina shifted her body from side to side, trying her damndest to stay as comfortable as she could in her situation.

"Well in any case, what brings me here? Because this is a terrible way to go about asking a girl on a date. Even if she does have a thing for whips and leather."

She was expecting the hooded man to start talking. Instead, it was the more decorative gentleman who took the opportunity. "So, this is the infamous_ gattadonna _of Florence. The one they said could not be captured by man-"

"Yeah, about that." Selina interrupted and rose an eyebrow. "How did that happen? The last couple of hours are a bit hazy."

"You tried to steal from the wrong bank." this time, the hooded man spoke. As he approached her, she caught a better glimpse of his face and noticed a few ugly claw marks across his cheek that were still healing up. "You didn't go down without a fight. But your recklessness caught up with you. And now, we want answers."

He sounded intimidating enough. Had she been any other woman in this situation she probably would've been crying and begging. Instead, she pushed her chest out as far as she could.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for being such a bad kitty." she purred, tilting her head to the side and batting her eyelashes. "Untie me, and I'll make it all up to you,_papi_."

While she didn't break character, she did brace herself for what she assume was going to be a turn on the rack or a punch to the face. Neither came to her, but despite the very serious situation at hand, she did notice the corner of his mouth twitch upward a bit. Did she almost make him laugh?

_"Signorina_, you will not find this matter so amusing for much longer." he whispered back to her. "The_ Gonfaloniere_-" he gestured to the man in the red robes, "means to have you executed for your crimes against the church and authority unless you tell him what he wants to know."

"Fair enough, handsome. But later, you and I are going to have business to attend to. I don't care for men who bust up a pretty girl's face like this." was the response, which prompted another almost-laugh from the hooded Ezio-doppelganger.

"I don't care for those who try to steal from my business, signorina. Save yourself the trouble. Answer his questions." and with that, the hooded man looked back to th_e Gonfaloniere_, a man who soon introduced himself as Uberto Alberti.

"Now that I have told you my name, what is yours, and where do you come from?" was the first question. Simple enough to answer, and not one that warranted a turn on this torture device she heard so much about.

"Selina." was her reply. "And like I said before, Gotham City. Born and raised. Not that any of you would know much about that."

"There is no such place." one of the monks, who had remained quiet up until this moment, felt the need to bring himself to her attention. Perhaps puffing out her chest worked on someone in this room after all.

"Oh, there is. And you should be happy you're here instead of there. Ivy's killer plants, Riddler's little death traps, Scarecrow's fear toxin. Should I go on?" she saw the collection of confused faces staring back at her. This wasn't information that was easy to swallow. Then again, they were in fact talking to a woman dressed up as a cat.

"Why did you steal from His Holiness and the _Vaticano?_" was the next question. Again, nothing worth getting her arms ripped out for.

"I like treasures. And buying things. Plus if I'm really in the past, all of these goodies are going to be worth so much more when I get back to the future."

It was at this moment where Alberti seemed a little fed up with her. He made a gesture to the men at Selina's sides, and without preamble they began to turn the wheel. Had she not loosened the ropes on her ankles, she would have been in for a world of pain, but as the wheel turned, the ropes had finally snapped. Before anybody could stop her, her legs shot upward and kicked the man on her right directly into his face. The razorwire fabric of her boots tore the side of his face much to the horror of the men in the room who suddenly rushed at her. But she was faster than they realized. Swinging her lower torso with all of her strength, her legs locked around the second executioner's neck and shoulders, putting him a strong but not fatal leg lock that meant certain death should she add more pressure. Recognizing the threat immediately, Alberti, the monks, and the hooded man refrained from moving closer.

"Alright, now that we're done with this game of kiss and tell, I've got a game for you. It's called _Selina Says._" the Catwoman pulled her captive closer to her and glanced at the hooded man. "Selina Says, if these ropes don't come off of my wrists, your friend here is going to bleed out really fast. So, tell one of those cute priest guys in the back to come up here and give the lady a hand."

This was not anticipated by anybody, but of all the men in the room, the Ezio-doppelganger seemed to be the most in control of the situation. "If he dies, you die as well. You know this. You need him alive."

"Lover, I'm leaving this room one way or another. This is hardly a problem for me." she purred, adding enough pressure to make her prisoner choke slightly. "I just think we'd play nice and make it a little easier on everyone. You let me go, you keep your friend. Fair's fair, right?"

His eyes shifted from her to the man she held captive. Suddenly Selina was starting to recall a bit of a fight prior to this unpleasant situation. She had tried to rob a bank under the impression that it would be easier than the high security ones in Gotham. And she hadn't anticipated that someone would be there with the means to stop her. And having spent her life in the company of lunatics and murderers, she knew a killer when she saw one. Yet he clearly did not want this man to die. And despite being fully responsible for her being here, she kind of knew somehow that he didn't want her to die either. _Yet_, anyways.

"_Sigh_... alright. Have it your way. I've been undoing these ropes the entire time anyways."

Much to everybody's horror, the ropes on Selina's hands suddenly fell to the floor. The moment they realized it, they all rushed her at once. They did not anticipate the Catwoman to push forward, doing a sloppy hurricanrana that sent her prisoner flying into Alberti and his monks but sadly resulted in Selina hitting her head against the rack. While it didn't quite knock her senseless, it did cause her some disorientation as she tried to make a break for the open door. And suddenly she felt someone's fingers grip the back of her suit. The hooded man attempted to pull her back towards him and anticipated her counterattack. So when Selina went to strike for his face, she gasped when a ten inch blade shot out from a hidden contraption within his sleeve and missed her face by mere centimeters. Her hand latched onto his forearm and she kicked him as hard as she could in his chest. The blow was much stronger than he expected and he released his grip on her suit.

And with a burst of speed, Selina went sprinting out of the torture chamber.


	6. Chapter 5

**Fun With Time Anomalies**

Chapter Five

Finding her way out of this dungeon was surprisingly easier than she would have anticipated, mostly due to the fact that she was so much faster than the men clunking around in their heavy armor. Still, fighting her way out of this one without her gloves, bolas, or whip was going to be out of the question until she could find them again. Perhaps it would be wiser at this point to just escape. Considering she heard footsteps sprinting behind her and closing in on her, escape seemed to be the only option. She rounded the corner of the hallway and found a winding stairway leading down to the lower levels of whatever building she was in. Without hesitation she leapt over the rail and and went flying and then falling, landing on the stone steps about a floor down from where her pursuer was. Selina only had to lift her head to see that the hooded man had followed her lead and was flying right at her.

"Oh give me a break!" she snapped as she dodged him.

He landed on the steps and Selina countered with a strong kick to his head, which was blocked with his bracer-covered forearm. Selina discovered that the hidden, retractable blade was coming from that, but he wasn't relying solely on it in this fight. After he blocked her kick he moved in, closing the distance and ramming her hard against the wall. Selina drove her knee into his stomach and brought her elbow down onto his shoulder. It hurt him enough to make him dub over but he was still stronger and faster than she anticipated. He punched her several times in the ribs and blocked her kicks and knees to his face, but never went in for a kill. Selina realized, when she heard more footsteps approaching, that he must have been trying to keep her contained.

"I don't have time for this!" she snapped before punching him in the side of his head, once, then twice, then a third time before he had enough space between them for her to kick him into the railing of the stairwell. He didn't go over but lost his footing on the steps and fell onto them. It was then Selina noticed that in addition to his hidden blade, he had a sheathed sword and what looked like smaller knives in his robes. "If you don't want me dead why the hell did you put me in a torture chamber?"

It was the only question she cared to ask. More guards were closing in from above her and she didn't want to give the hooded man the satisfaction of having her caught anyways. The quickest route seemed to be jumping down the stairs rather than running down them. She jumped on top of the railing and leapt into the air before landing further down the staircase. And as expected, it didn't take long for her hooded pursuer to keep coming for her. It was time to get the hell out of here. With one final jump Selina had made it to the end of the staircase. Word must not have gotten out just yet to the rest of the guards, otherwise this tiny opening would have been her downfall. She sprinted across the threshold of the doorway, rushing through the narrow hallway with her hooded stalker not far behind. And to her great fortune, the hallway lead to a balcony that oversaw a small, moonlit courtyard.

_This ought to get him off my back!_

Before he could reach her, she leapt into a dive over the edge of the balcony. To jump in such a manner was certainly suicidal, and yet when the hooded man made it to the edge, he did not see her broken body on the courtyard floor. In fact, he did not see her at all. It was as if she had vanished into the shadows of the night. He jumped from the ledge and eased his way down into the courtyard, but saw no trace of her. And from the shadows of the balcony's archway, Selina clung to the shadowy corner, out of his sight. Without her gloves it would be difficult to make her exit by crawling across the ceiling. But now that she was out of his view and the night made the landscape darker without any electric-powered lights, her escape was quick, quiet, and convenient. And by the time she made it to the streets of Florence she scaled the tallest building the best she could without her gloves and made it to the rooftop.

_"Buena sera, gatta-"_

The voice came seemingly out of nowhere and Selina's first reaction was to swing at it. Her fist connected with Ezio's arm which, to her ultimate surprise, had blocked what would have been a very painful punch to his cheek. It still hurt him a little, but he backed away from her enough to give her room.

"_Sta' calmo!_ I did not mean to startle you!" he protested, but nonetheless Selina stepped up to him and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.

"What the hell is going on and don't even try to lie to me, handsome." she snapped. "I've had a hell of a night and I know it had something to do with you!"

The actual, genuine look of surprise on Ezio's face at this outburst almost convinced her otherwise. But this was too good to be a coincidence. That man back there most certainly had to be his father. Ezio shook his head and placed his hands over her wrists. He didn't force her hands off of him, nor did he try to attack her, but she still refused to relax just yet.

"My father runs the bank that you tried to steal from. When you were captured, we feared that... that is... Cristina and I..." was he blushing? Why on earth would he be blushing at a time like this? He fumbled over his words for a moment before speaking again. "I told my father that I had met you. I asked him to speak at your trial so you wouldn't be executed. But he said you had stolen treasures from the_ Vaticano_ and other wealthy families."

"Your father runs a bank? He sure didn't look like any banker to me!" she chuckled, prompting a strange look from the boy. At that, he did gently lower her hands from his shirt and she obliged him. No point in roughing him up now.

"You saw him? Just now?" he asked, and then he noticed the welts on her face, the dried blood on her nose and the swollen lip. His hand moved to her chin, observing her wounds as best he could in the moonlight. "What happened to you?"

"I got into a bit of a fight." she sighed, turning her head away from him. "I'm assuming it was your dad. You only look just like him. I guess if he runs a bank and I'm trying to rob it, that's a good enough reason to try and give me a beating, but-"

The tension was in the air. When she looked back to Ezio, there was the most intense look on his face. Selina crossed her arms in front of her. "Don't give me that look! He obviously can handle himself. He was armed to the teeth with all kinds of blades and sure as hell knew how to chase someone down-"

"You must be mistaken!" Ezio snapped. "My father is a banker! Why would he... explain yourself! What happened? Did you-"

"I didn't kill him, if that's what you're worried about. I don't kill people. Not unless I really have to." the cat saw the relief all over his face and for a moment actually felt bad for him. It would appear that he wasn't exactly supposed to know about his father's nighttime endeavors. Apparently the Renaissance came with it's own costumed vigilantes with secret lives in the dead of night. "He didn't want me dead either, it would seem. I don't know why. Waking up on the rack was a hell of a way to start my day. I don't even remember fighting him after I tried to rob the bank."

This was turning into an awkward situation all around. Perhaps it would be better for the both of them if she were to change subjects. "You said you knew I was caught. Did you only know because of your father, or was that already public knowledge?"

"Everyone has been talking about it. How they caught the _gattadonna_." Ezio replied, and Selina could see the red in his face coming back again. "Cristina was... devastated."

it was at that moment that Seilna dropped her face into the palm of her hand. "You didn't happen to swing by her window a few nights ago, did you?"

There was no reply. Just the most uncomfortable, awkward silence that seemed to put the other topic right to shame. And just when she thought it couldn't possibly be stranger:

"...That thing you were doing... with your... mouth..." Ezio stammered and it took everything in Selina's entire body not to burst out laughing.

"How do you expect to stay popular with the ladies if you don't even know how to go down on one?"

Ezio scoffed at her and looked away. "I know that! I just... well... never saw a woman do it."

This was an interesting turn of events. He sounded awkward, but definitely not jealous. "Did she tell you about it afterwards?"

He shook his head but didn't comment on it further. Selina smirked and moved to him, sliding her fingers down his arm and tracing a path to his hand. "You know, the next time you could always just ask to come in. This is the rare occasion where I'm pretty sure all parties would be fine with it."

All sorts of hell had broken loose in just the past couple of hours alone, and yet somehow he was able to smile at that. If her entire body wasn't ebbing with pain, she probably would have taken him up on it then and there. But instead, she leaned in and kissed him. It was supposed to be a quick one before she made her getaway. Instead, his arms moved around her hips and he held her there as he kissed her deeply. Apparently Selina wasn't the only one who wanted to be a little bold tonight. She giggled against his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him harder and rubbing her body up against him. His hands stroked along the curve of her spine, sending shivers throughout her body and pushing her to take things further.

_Tonight hardly qualifies as too much excitement, especially compared to the nights I've had in Gotham City. What harm could it do?_

She pulled away from his lips but did not move away from him. For a moment they lingered there in silence. Ezio cupped her cheek with his hand and for a moment Selina found herself getting lost in his eyes.

"What is your name,_ gatta?_"

"Selina Kyle."

The voice that answered did not belong to Ezio. The only other people in this town who knew her name was his father and Cristina, and neither were there.

The voice belonged to Talia al Ghul.


End file.
